Softball

Softball to play five games at the Buzz Classic this weekend

COOKEVILLE, Tenn. - The Tennessee Tech softball team will return
to the field this weekend at the Buzz Classic in Woodstock, Ga., to
play five games in the tournament hosted by Georgia Tech. The
Golden Eagles begin their stretch of five contests in three days on
Friday when they take on Western Carolina at 10 a.m.

So far this season, Tech has nearly had as many games canceled
as the Golden Eagles have played. Entering the second month of the
season, TTU has compiled a 5-5 record through 10 games, although
the team had 16 games scheduled through this point.

Three of the six canceled games have been or will be
rescheduled. TTU will take on Tennessee at the Tech Softball Field
on April 20, while the doubleheader against Middle Tennessee State
will be made up at a date to be determined.

The Golden Eagles will hope for Mother Nature to cooperate this
weekend as Tech looks to build off a 3-2 finish in last weekend's
Frost Classic Inspired by Memorial. Callie Schmidt turned in an
impressive performance throughout the weekend as the junior was
named the OVC Player of the Week.

Schmidt hit .500 (8-for-16) and slugged 1.125 at the Classic as
she homered three times and also doubled. She went 4-for-4 with a
home run, two runs scored and an RBI against Miami (Ohio) to start
the tournament. Schmidt's four hits in a game were a career high.
Schmidt also hit homers against Oakland and East Tennessee State en
route to totaling five runs scored and six RBIs for the tournament.
To finish the weekend, the catcher went 2-for-4 against ETSU with
three RBIs and two runs scored.

Along with Schmidt, three other Golden Eagles are hitting above
.300 to begin the season. Schmidt leads the team with a .448
batting average, while Whitney Cummings (.429), Chanelle Spalding
(.333) and Kaleigh Gates (.320) have all helped carry the Golden
Eagles at the plate.

In the circle, Holly Thomas has shown improvements in her second
year as a Golden Eagle. The sophomore leads the team with a 4-2
record and 1.85 earned run average. Opposing batters are hitting
just .183 collectively against Thomas, and she leads all pitchers
in the Ohio Valley Conference with 35 strikeouts.

Providing head coach Tory Acheson some flexibility in his
rotation to begin the season has been Maddie Schmissrauter. A
junior, Schmissrauter has appeared in five games this season, all
in relief, and has been a reliable option to hold opponents at bay.
Schmissrauter has a 2.40 ERA with 17 strikeouts in 11.2 innings of
work to go along with a 1-1 record.

Following their opening game against Western Carolina, the
Golden Eagles will take on Mercer at 1 p.m. on Tuesday in a rematch
from earlier this season. Tech will then have games against James
Madison and Mississippi on Saturday before wrapping up the weekend
against UNC Greensboro on Sunday.